Yuki Saito hasn’t justified the hype that came with his being drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2010, but the reigning Japan Series champions aren’t giving up on him just yet. The former amateur star, and current Fighters pitcher, made just 11 ...

While the Los Angeles Angels stumbled, Mike Trout soared again. Just too good to ignore. Trout won the AL MVP award Thursday for the second time in three years, and Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was voted NL MVP in balloting by the ...

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters skipper Hideki Kuriyama, who led the Pacific League team to its first Japan Series title in 10 years this past season, won the Matsutaro Shoriki Award on Thursday. Kuriyama, 55, took the prize in a unanimous vote by a five-member ...

Seibu Lions free agent pitcher Takayuki Kishi said Thursday he is going to join the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, a move that will take him back to his hometown of Sendai. Kishi met with Seibu senior director Hisanobu Watanabe and other officials the same ...

Max Scherzer celebrated aboard a boat off the British Virgin Islands, doused by college pals on a floating party. Rick Porcello enjoyed the moment at his parents’ home in New Jersey, surrounded by family, friends and a few bottles of wine. As for Justin ...

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters right-hander Anthony Bass is leaving the Japan Series champion after one season, the Pacific League club announced Tuesday. The 29-year-old pitched both as a starter and in relief in 37 regular-season games as he went 8-8 with a 3.65 ERA. ...

The Hanshin Tigers said Tuesday they will not renew their contract with infielder Mauro Gomez, who spent three seasons with the Central League team. Gomez, 32, was the league’s RBI king in his first year in NPB in 2014 with 109 RBIs, but had ...

The only reason Shohei Otani won’t be Japan’s breakout star at the 2017 World Baseball Classic is because everybody is already talking about the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters star. He can throw 160 kph and hit home runs beyond 130 meters. The wonders of ...

Corey Seager won the NL Rookie of the Year award unanimously. Michael Fulmer took the AL honor — and that vote wasn’t all that close, either. Seager and Fulmer were announced as the winners Monday night, when votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of ...

When the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were trailing the two-time Japan Series champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks by 11½ games in the Pacific League in late June, almost no one expected them to end up as league champions, let alone Japan Series champions, by the ...

The Tokyo Yakult Swallows have acquired Dean Green, a U.S. minor league infielder, on a one-year contract worth ¥50 million (about $460,000) plus incentives, the Central League baseball club said Monday. Green has no experience in the big leagues, but Masayuki Okumura, the Swallows’ ...

Samurai Japan wrapped up its series of exhibition games on Sunday at Tokyo Dome, finishing with a 3-1 record against Mexico (1-1) and the Netherlands. But Japan’s top team couldn’t care less about the result from each game. The team understands there are still ...